Disability Services and Advocacy in the USVI - Episode 46 with Guests Shamika Thomas, VIUCEDD Executive Director, and Shammi Carr, DRCVI Advocate

Join host Amelia Hedley-Lemont in this episode about the integral roles of the University Center of Excellence on Developmental Disabilities (VIUCEDD) and the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands. Guests Shamika Thomas, MPH, CCHW, Executive Director of VIUCEDD, and Shammi Carr, DRCVI Advocate, discuss how these organizations serve the broader community by providing essential services and advocacy for people with disabilities.  Explore the free services the UCEDD offers the entire community, ranging from early intervention to assistive technology and a lending closet for durable medical supplies. Shamika Thomas explains how these resources are made accessible to the community through grants and partnerships, while Shammi Carr highlights the collective efforts to drive systemic change for individuals with disabilities across the territory. Learn about the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, a pioneering initiative aimed at fostering leaders in the disability advocacy field. Discover how this program, in collaboration with the Westchester Institute for Human Development, equips Virgin Islanders with the skills needed to advance disability services. Finally, the episode touches on the various training sessions and events like Voices That Count, illustrating how these initiatives offer platforms for meaningful dialogue and collaboration.